Hey y'all! I have returned with a Cole chapter! Another Cole chapter is coming, and then Zane after this again lol.

Nuppa Nuppa: Ikr! Echo really loves his brother and he definitely thinks his dad is being a little unfair about the whole situation.

The Night Ninja: Oh yeah! I totally see what you're saying here. Being a teen parent doesn't mean you can't accomplish what you were working towards before. One of the earliest images I ever pictured for this AU was Pixal sitting at the kitchen table wearing a baby sling doing her homework while little Ezra's sleeping comfortably. They're undeniably both very invested in not only keeping their baby happy and well cared for, but creating the best future for the three of them! And I can definitely see them getting married probably some time after he is born !

CaptainSteve1: Hehehe I was hoping for that effect, I'm glad to know that it worked! Dr. Julian does love Zane, I think he was just hoping for him to follow him in his footsteps, and at the root of it all I feel like he's just very concerned for his future. Also, lucky for you I've been in a Cole mood, so hope you like it!

"Shhhh, shhhhhh. Don't cry honey, you'll wake your sister. We're almost there, I promise."

Cole cooed to his whimpering daughter as he was making yet another late night drive. His father's house was basically across the other end of the city, making about an hour drive from his rinky-dink apartment. Now, they were about fifteen minutes away.

Eleni had fallen asleep almost immediately after being buckled into her car seat, but Nina had awoken at some point during the drive and was now threatening to cry at any moment. This left Cole thinking about how he really didn't want to have to stop at the side of the road to console two crying babies when they were so close.

So he began to sing.

Once he found the words to that old little glow worm lullaby, she quieted down, and Cole immediately felt better.

After he finished, he waited one beat longer.

Silence.

Taking that as a success, Cole breathes out in relief, which in turn triggers a hearty yawn. He glances down at the time flashing on the car's dash. It was almost going to be one in the morning.

Cole had work at the gas station tomorrow - well, more like later tonight - he remarked internally. It was all up to how things would go from here on out to amount to how much sleep he'd get tonight.

He spared a glance at the rearview mirror, eyeing his daughters' car seats.

Maybe he should call in.

Seliel hadn't answered any of his calls, and at this point he really didn't know what she might be up to. Upon further investigation, all of her stuff was still in the apartment, so the closest to a conclusion he could come up with was that she was just...out.

Cole tightened his grip around the steering wheel. It didn't excuse her from leaving their young twin daughters at the apartment all alone.

Things between them had been different recently,

But, it wasn't like they ever really had a "normal" to begin with.

After a year of community college, Cole had more or less decided that...he really didn't know what he was doing. He had taken the next year off, a decision which ultimately dismayed his father because he had already taken a gap year after graduating high school.

But that didn't necessarily exclude him from the whole college scene altogether. In his brief stint, he had made some friends who happened to be heavily involved in those infamous college parties you always see in the movies. In turn, Cole would almost always be at said college parties.

He had never really been much of a drinker, but he kept coming back just to see her.

Seliel was just this girl who spoke so confidently, and who dyed her hair red with a single blue streak just to spite her very modest parents. Cole admired her rebellious personality, most likely because she did everything he wished he had done in high school to spite his strict father. She truly had a ferocity unrivaled by anyone he had ever met before. They spent practically entire parties chatting away, talking about nothing and everything almost all at once.

Soon they got around to hanging out, making spontaneous day trips to the drive-in movie theater out of town or just goofing off back home.

He smiled a bit, reminiscing of all those old memories spent together.

The thing is that when you're young, you feel like you're on top of the world. That when you're so high up, nothing could ever bring you down.

Everything happened all at once.

Seliel was late. For a couple days, Cole was on the more hopeful side. That this was just a false alarm and they'd go back to how everything was before, albeit more cautious. But she assured him that she was never late. And four positive tests later, Cole's world was changed forever.

Cole was brought out of his thoughts as he spotted his father's house just up ahead. He pulled up into the driveway, noting the light by the front door immediately turned on. His father stepped out a moment after, walking towards his car. His heart was racing.

Cole turned off the car before opening the car door, stepping out, quickly searching for something to say.

What he wasn't expecting, however, was his father's warm embrace.

It felt nice.

He should have called more.

"Dad, listen, I- I'm so-"

"Nonsense, Cole. Let's get the girls inside first"

Cole relaxed, hugging his father tightly for a moment before letting go.

He unlocked the car's back door, carefully detaching Eleni's car seat. He handed the seat to his father, who carefully held it by the handle, taking his sleeping daughter inside. Cole moved to the other side, doing the same, when he accidentally jostled Nina's car seat, causing her to wake from her newly found sleep.

She scrunched up her little face as he quickly got to working on unbuckling her from her car seat. Nina broke into little cries just as he picked her up. "I know, I knowwwww, somebody's tired." He patted her back a little as she began to calm, before pressing a kiss to the side of her head. He pushed the door closed with his foot, and began to make his way to the front door.

"Don't worry, we're at grandpa's house now," he whispered.

Cole opened the front door with his free hand. He walked into the living room to see his father gently rocking Eleni in the car seat. She looked perfectly content, a pacifier in her mouth, dreaming away. The sight made Cole's heart swell.

Nina was quiet, although he could tell she was falling asleep as well.

Finally.

His father stood from his seat on the couch. "I have a spare bedroom we can put them in," he said quietly.

Cole nodded, following his father into the guest room. He quietly laid Nina down before returning to the living room to unbuckle Eleni. He set her beside her sister, and couldn't help but feel relief at the fact that they were okay.

He took a seat beside them on the bed, and began to hum a tune nearly long forgotten.

As soon as he finished, Cole turned around, slightly startled by the sight of his father in the doorway.

They looked at each other for a moment before his father decided to speak.

"It's been quite a while since I've heard that one." Lou said, giving him a small sad smile.

"Dad, I have so much to tell you."

Coming up: Cole and his dad talk. What's up with Seliel? How long has it been since Cole and his father last spoke? What will he do next?